Maggie Grace

Sorry!

2011-05-17T08:36:00.000-07:00

There are lots of reason why I haven't kept up with Maggie's blog, the main one being Maggie! Hahaha! Two year olds definitely require lots of attention! It has been so long, I'm not sure where to start!

Well, Maggie is talking up a storm, and she usually needs me to translate for her. Being with her all day makes it easier to understand her language. There are so many things she says now that are so cute, it is hard for me to remember everything! Right now she is saying "choo-choo" because she saw a train on TV. She also says "need a hug" when she wants to be held, "i love you", "it's funny", and much much more. Her favorite things to sing are "Oh where is my hairbrush" from Veggie Tales, and "What's gonna work? Teamwork" from Wonderpets. When she want you to sit by her she pats the chair and says "Right Bear?" instead of "Right there?" She LOOOOOVES playing in water...the bathtub, the sink, puddles, birdbaths, basically anything with water in it. I think the pool will be fun this summer.

She is very much attached to her pink stuffed elephant. She sleeps with him every night. She has to have him and a blanket or "kankie" as Maggie would say. Maggie also loves ducks or "gucks."

Recently, we took her to the zoo with my friend Kristin in Indianapolis. The first animals you can see are the sea lions. There was one sunning himself on a rock. Maggie was excited about all the water in the tank and when the sea lion moved she finally noticed it and gasped and started squealing and talking up a storm! It was so much fun to see her enjoy all the animals. She said "need a hug?" to the giraffes, and was a little afraid of the snakes.

Maggie is fitting well into the "big sister" role. She gives Audrey her pacifier and gently pets her head or holds her hand. She let's me know when Audrey is crying. She says, "Mommy, baby Audrey!"

Well, Audrey is crying right now, so I have to go!

Fun at the Apple Orchard

2010-09-22T11:05:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago we took Maggie and our dog Penny to Anderson Orchard. We had a blast!

What a summer!

2010-08-31T06:01:00.000-07:00

We've had a blast this summer! In June we spent two weeks in Florida with my side of the family! Maggie got some great quality time with her aunts, uncles and cousins! She loved the beach and playing in the sand. I think our evening walks along the beach were her favorite.

In July, we found out that Maggie is going to have a baby brother or sister! She's too little to really understand what that means, but I told her there was a baby in my belly and she gave it a kiss. On Monday nights while we are at praise band practice, Maggie usually goes to play with Aunt Brooke. I don't know what Aunt Brooke feeds her, but she sure is wild when we come to pick her up! ;)

At the end of July, Aunt Amy, Uncle Ryan, Alexis and Kaylee moved to Spain. To keep in touch we've been video-chatting on Skype! Maggie loves seeing them and talking to them. She REALLY loves their new kitty, Artemis (Artie for short). Sometimes Maggie steals the webcam and shoots her own video...which I'm sure makes people dizzy!

Maggie has added several words to her vocabulary. Bye-Bye (or Die-die as Maggie says), Pooh (as in Winnie-the, not smelly), Pup-pup (that's what she calls our dog, Penny), Gramma, Paw-paw, Dada, Mama, Turtle, Kitty Kitty and Tickle Tickle (these two are interchangeable), and much much more! She's becoming well-versed in all the animal sounds as well...apparently giraffes growl like a lion, but we won't worry about that!

We've been spending some time at Gramma's pool. Maggie swims while wearing a little tube. She gets around really well with that on by kicking her little legs. She's still pretty skinny, but has been eating much better. She's in the 5th percentile for weight and the 50th for height. At her 12 month appointment she wasn't even on the chart for weight, so at least she's back on!

Speaking of Maggie, she's awake now and ready for her breakfast!

Skinny minny

2010-05-26T13:11:00.000-07:00

Maggie had her routine check up at the Dr. last week, and she had lost weight since her last visit several months ago! I wasn't surprised because she has turned into quite the picky eater. For instance, today I prepared a usual sure-thing (toaster strudel) for her breakfast, and she would have nothing to do with it! I can't even get this kid to eat candy bars, sometimes!!! So, I've just been making sure she is getting enough to drink, and adding instant breakfast to her milk. Hopefully she will grow out of this phase soon! It is difficult not to stress out about it.

She is still just a happy camper, albeit a skinny one. I absolutely LOVE being with her all day, every day. I wouldn't trade even the most frustrating times for anything. She continues to learn new things, and I really try to cherish these small special moments we have together, because I know they only last a short time.

Sad day

2010-04-17T10:51:00.000-07:00

Please pray for my friends, David and Melissa who lost their precious baby boy Evan today. He was born today at only 20 weeks, and fought to live for two hours, but couldn't make it. Please pray for them to feel God's comfort and peace through this unimaginably painful time...

HOORAY

2010-04-13T17:35:00.000-07:00

The day has finally come, when I get to stay home with Maggie!!! Today was my first official day as a stay-at-home Mom...something I have always dreamed of doing, and am very proud of. It was everything I hoped for and more. Maggie woke up around 9 am and was in a very cuddly mood all morning. We watched Beauty and the Beast while she sat in my lap and ate a toaster strudel. We played for a while, had some lunch, and then she took a nap. She hasn't had a nap for about three days, so that was a good thing. Then she went with me and my Mom to get our hair done. She was worried about me while I was getting my hair colored and washed, but Grandma distracted her pretty well. We had dinner when Brian got home, and then spent a long time playing. She must have been really worn out, because she went to bed at 7:30. It was a wonderful day.

Blessing

2010-03-31T19:20:00.001-07:00

Maggie is truly a source of pure joy. She is sweet, silly, smart, sassy, simply spectacular! I am so very thankful that God chose me to be her mother! I really don't want her to grow up, but every day she gets older, she becomes more amazing. I just love her so much.

Smarty-pants

2010-02-22T13:44:00.000-08:00

Little Maggie is such a smart little girl! She is learning so many new things! Since my last post, she has learned how to walk. I can't believe how fast she is growing up. She eats pretty much everything now and puts her four teeth to good use. She's working on two more teeth. They may even be in already, but she's so busy, busy I haven't had a chance to peek.

Her favorite movies are Winnie the Pooh, Lady and the Tramp and Elmo in Grouchland. She still likes her Baby Einstein videos, and she is starting to love Spongebob. She has a couple of toys that she has to have before bed...her little elephant and her little bear with angel wings. She snuggles them and rubs her eyes with them. She loves to cuddle first thing in the morning with these two toys and me or Grandma depending on the day. Sometimes the cuddle lasts until her afternoon nap! She spends lots of time playing with all her toys she got for her birthday or for Christmas, sometimes sitting quietly in front of her toy box, carefully examining each toy as she pulls them out one by one.

She is so much fun to play with and her laugh is just the best sound in the whole world! What a great little girl!

ONE YEAR OLD!!!

2009-12-27T21:56:00.000-08:00

I can't believe little Maggie Grace is a year old already!!! I must say this past year was the best of my life so far!!! I look forward to new milestones as Maggie learns to walk, talk, and do all that other "big girl" stuff.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2009-11-26T15:19:00.000-08:00

Maggie has been doing great! She's not walking independently yet, but I don't imagine it will be much longer. She has grown her first two teeth, and we think she's working on some top teeth. Soon she'll be chomping away. She loves to dance, sing and clap, and is just a silly silly girl. It's hard to believe she'll be a year old in less than a month!!! I love her so much!

Cute photos

2009-10-04T06:55:00.000-07:00

Maggie has her first tooth now, and is working on the next one! She had a rough patch after that first tooth popped through because we decided it was time to take the pacifier away. She didn't use it much anyway, but her sleepy time routine was different without it. In spite of sore gums, and a few fussy moments, she has been quite the trooper with this whole teething thing!!! Her favorite thing to do now is to "cruise" from couch to couch. I think she'll be walking soon enough!

Goofy Girl

2009-09-07T09:28:00.000-07:00

Maggie loves the camera!

Has it really been over a month???

2009-08-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

Well, what a month it has been! This little girl sits up all by herself, and can crawl! Not up on her hands and knees yet, but she sort of "inch-worms" or "army crawls" her way all over the room. She is so smart, too. She loves trying to figure out how things work, and she even gets frustrated when she can't make her toys do what she wants them to do!!!
At her last visit to the doctor, she was in the 25th percentile for weight, but she had jumped up to the 90% for height! She's getting tall.
Maggie loves playing outside, looking at the trees and nature, and she also loves dogs. Nothing gets her giggling like watching a dog play. She has the sweetest little laugh, and almost always has a smile on her face. What a blessing she is! I never realized how much joy a baby can give to EVERYONE!!! People in the store, people at restaurants, people wherever we go always end up smiling when they see little Maggie. I guess her smile is contagious. Get ready to smile!

Cutie pie

2009-07-15T19:20:00.000-07:00

Maggie just keeps getting cuter!!! She is so much fun. I just love being her Mommy!!!

6 months...That's half a year!!!

2009-07-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

Well, this little one just keeps growing, no matter how I tell her to stay little. But each month just brings new fun little developments. Maggie likes to roll from one end of a room to the other...her favorite mode of transportation. She also loves playing "airplane" where she's on her tummy and flaps her arms and kicks her legs. We're still waiting on those little teeth to pop through. Maggie is quite skilled at grabbing things and putting them straight into her mouth. I had to retire her swing last week. She kept trying to roll over while sitting in it. Her bouncy seat is still a favorite, though. She's eating like a champ! Fruits are still a little sour for her, so she's not a fan of those yet. Sweet potatoes, peas, and her cereal are her favorites. She just finished TWO bowls of cereal. Yeah, I know!
I just want to take a minute to say how much we appreciate everyone who has helped us with Maggie at one point or another. We are so fortunate to have so many people willing to take care of her if we ever need them to, and we have had so much given to us! It has made things SO easy for us, and gotten rid of a lot of potential headaches. Maggie has never been sick, except for after shots, and I feel that is mostly due to the GREAT care of Grandmas, Grandpas, Great Grandmas and Grandpas, Aunts, Uncles, and so on down the line. We are so grateful to all of you for the love you've shown to Maggie and to us. I can't express how much it means!
Here are some pics and videos!

Father's Day

2009-06-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

Brian is SUCH a good father to little Maggie. She sure loves him!!! I know she can't say so yet, but I can tell.

Summer's here!

2009-06-10T18:35:00.000-07:00

Maggie had her first dip in the pool last Monday when Aunt Amy and the girls were in town. It was a little cold for her yet, but she seemed to like it a little bit! She's been eating cereal and orange veggies like a champ!!! She's starting to get chunky in her little legs and arms.
Maggie is just too much fun!!! She loves to reach out and grab things...hair, cheeks, Penny, etc. This week she had been doing really well about laying down in bed and going right to sleep at night. She's growing up!!!
Here are some fun pictures of the little sweetie pie!

Giggles!

2009-05-31T18:40:00.001-07:00

We caught Maggie giggling on film! She's been laughing a lot more often these days, and it is the best thing EVER!!! I just love hearing her laugh. Penny is her favorite thing to laugh at today. Friday it was an egg shaker that Danny from work gave to her. That's when Brian caught her with the camera.
My flowers are doing well! Some still haven't bloomed, but the ones that I thought weren't going to make it are looking fine now! Penny has only gotten into the flowers once since we planted them, so that's good.
Saturday we took Penny and Maggie to the park. Penny was so excited when we came through the entrance that she started shaking. There were lots of people there having graduation parties, and she of course wanted to say "hi" to all of them. Maggie was only awake for a few minutes in her stroller before the nice breeze and outdoor sights and sounds put her right to sleep. I got some much needed exercise, and we hall had a great Saturday.
Last weekend I decided to take my easel out onto the porch to paint. It was a good idea until the rainclouds rolled in and blocked out the sun. It's not easy to paint in the dark. Everything is still sitting out there, waiting for me to finish!
I tried to upload the video of Maggie laughing, but it is too long...I'll get a shorter one soon.
Instead I'll post a cute picture of Maggie visiting with her cousins yesterday!

We did it!!!

2009-05-21T12:51:00.000-07:00

We planted all the flowers! In the back yard, we had to clear away some grass to make our flower bed bigger. We have two pampas grass plants, some white vinca, dahlia's, gazanias, snap dragons, and more. A few of the snap dragons look a bit wilted but hopefully with some good watering they will look better. Brian's job was to clear the spot, which turned out to be quite a dirty task, and my job was to plant the plants.

As you can see in the photos below, there is still some work to be done. There are lots of weeds by the fence that need pulled, and we need to put down some mulch.

I have some planters on the front porch, and I decided to plant some wave petunias in them this year. They are looking good so far. I have also included some pictures of my house plants. My spider plant had a baby, and my aloe plant has been revived. Maggie watched us plant the flowers, and Penny tried to help. She's been really good about staying out of the new flower bed!

There were some plants sprouting in the back yard last year that Brian usually just mowed over, but this year we let them grow and discovered that they are peonies! They are blooming now, and look very pretty! I'm glad we let them grow this time.

It was so nice to spend the day outside. One of my favorite things to do when I was growing up was to help Mom plant her flowers. I look forward to Maggie helping me someday! I can't get enough of this beautiful weather. I am really loving our porch this week! I could just sit out there and listen to the birds all day. It would be better if there weren't noisy cars driving by 24/7.

Daddy's Graduation, Mother's Day

2009-05-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

Hooray for Daddy! Brian is done with school, and has TWO degrees to show for it! We are so proud of him. He is now taking trombone lessons from Mr. Stewart at Indiana University, and is sending out his impressive resume to several job leads in the Packaging industry. I know it won't be long before someone snatches him up!

What did I get for my first Mothers' Day? I got to hear my little girl laugh for the first time! I wish I could bottle that sound up and store it for a rainy day. There's nothing better for lifting your mood than hearing those giggles! Apparently Roger and Brooke's dogs are hilarious. Maggie thinks so, anyway. I haven't caught her laughing on film yet (it is a rare occurrence when it's just the two of us...I guess I'm not that funny) but when I do, I will be sure to share it!

I plan to plant flowers today. I have to pull weeds first, so we'll see. Mom brought me some perennial seeds, black-eyed susans and coreopsis, that I will start in some pots, and I bought a flat of annuals on Friday that need planted. Hopefully Penny won't destroy the flowers in the back yard. We'll see.

More fun toys!!!

2009-05-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

I put Maggie's highchair together this week. She felt like such a big girl when she sat in it for the first time!!! We also put together the rain forest bouncy seat thing we got from Jaime. She LOVES it. Here are some videos and pictures of little miss Maggie enjoying her life!!!

Easter dress and more!!!

2009-04-20T16:22:00.000-07:00

Little Maggie is going to be 4 months old this week!!! It's just going by too fast! She looked so beautiful for Palm Sunday and Easter. On Palm Sunday we had Maggie's Baby Dedication at church. Family came to the special event, and we had a wonderful time.
Maggie is talking to her mobile in her swing right now...It's pretty hilarious. She loves to gurgle!!!
Brian is graduating on May 9th!!! Hopefully God will provide a good job for Brian and we can stay close to friends and family! He's been really busy this week preparing for his final trombone recital. Next week he will be busy finishing up his senior project for his packaging degree. I think he's ready to be done with school.
Three people were laid off at my work last week. I think I'm safe, but there's no way to know for sure. I do work hard while I'm there, so hopefully that means something! I love that place...It's sad that they had to let people go.
I'm looking forward to the warm days ahead. I just feel more motivated to do things when it's sunny out! Plus, I'd like to take Maggie on walks outside. It was so cold when she was born that she didn't get out much (Mommy didn't either) but now that the weather is warming up, we can get out and see some nature!!!
Well, here is a video of some Maggie talk.

Sleeping

2009-03-28T19:42:00.000-07:00

Maggie and I are mouth-breathers...hehe!

3 months old!

2009-03-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

Maggie turned 3 months old yesterday! She becomes more fun every day. She came to work with me for about an hour on Saturday, and everyone loved her...of course! She is recovering from the busy weekend right now by taking an extra long nap. Here are some silly pictures of Maggie!

Super Daddy

2009-03-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

Brian watched Maggie two days in a row, and she is still in one piece! Not that I expected anything different, but he did a great job. She's definitely going to be a "daddy's girl." They watch golf together (Maggie through her eyelids), and she just loves to snuggle on Daddy's lap! It's too cute. Then when she starts to fuss, it's Mommy's turn. I don't mind. She's just too sweet and cuddly!!! Brian watched her yesterday while I cleaned the windows on the porch. That took forever and a day! If you haven't seen the windows, they're sort of like blinds made of glass. They open up with a crank to let air in on the porch, which is really neat, but made them very difficult to clean. And boy were they dirty!
Maggie loves to lay in her crib and watch her Winnie the Pooh mobile. She does what I call her "exercises" where she flails her arms and kicks her legs super-fast! It looks like she's dancing to the music of her mobile. She breaks out in a big grin whenever she hears it start to play. She's watched some more of her Baby Einstein videos...I think I enjoy them as much as she does...I'm watching one right now, and she's not even in the room!
I'm getting really excited about my sister-in-law Amber having her baby!!! She's going to have a girl probably any time now! Her due date is April 6th I think, but her first two kids were born 3 weeks early. I can't wait!!!
Well, I have some serious cleaning to do!!! I better get started while Miss Maggie is nappin'!

Sweet little girl

2009-03-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

Snoozin' away

Little Angel

Maggie has been enjoying her Baby Einstein videos! She actually watched one for a little bit today. She has been sleeping through the night pretty well the last couple of days, too! That's always a plus! She's just a wonderful baby, and I feel so blessed! We took Maggie and Penny for a walk on Saturday. The weather was great. Warm, and just a little cloudy. It was Maggie's first adventure outside. She stared at the clouds and trees all "bright eyed." Penny had a good time, too. She's so out of shape! She was worn out after the first ten minutes or so! Yesterday we went to Mom's house for lunch and then to Grandpa Cook's to see his new puppy, Rex. Maggie fell asleep while Cathy was holding her, and Rex tried to get Penny to play with him. She was being an old grouch, though.
Well, I better get some laundry done since Maggie's napping now.

Day 2

2009-03-04T12:14:00.000-08:00

I've been back to work two days now, and I must say, things are going very well so far. I work 5 hours each day, which seems to be the magical amount of time. It is just long enough for me to get all my work done, but not so long that I miss Maggie too much. I miss her of course, but I am busy, so the time goes by fast. Thanks for all your prayers! Maggie has been good for Grandma while Mommy is gone. Brian got a phone call about a job yesterday. It is in the Champaign, IL area, which would be a possible commute from Terre Haute. It sounds very promising. He is supposed to have an interview soon. Maggie is still growing and getting cuter every day!!!

10 lbs 4oz!!!

2009-02-27T14:23:00.000-08:00

Maggie got her first immunizations yesterday...OUCH! She had three shots, two in one thigh and one in the other. It was not a good time! She didn't have any bad reactions to them, except for a slight fever, and sleeping longer than normal. She slept all night last night, and has had two long naps today! Her legs don't seem to be sore, so that's good. She's had her bath, and is napping again. Her crib is very comfy! She seems to like sleeping there. She still likes taking naps in Mommy's arms, though. (Mommy likes it, too!). The doctor said that she looks great, and is in the 25% for height and weight. She's kinda small, but so are her parents. Maggie now weighs 10lbs 4oz and is 22 inches long.

I start work again next week. I will work Tues - Fri, 9-2 and Sat 10-3. That will give Maggie some special time with Daddy on Saturdays. I think I can probably handle those hours. I'm excited to be back with my co-workers, too. I've missed them!
Maggie really enjoys laying on the floor, kicking and waving her arms. I call it her "exercises". She is usually all smiles and coos when awake. What a happy little girl!

Picture Time

2009-02-12T08:02:00.000-08:00

The music studio/guest room in the basement is complete! My mom and grandpa are just amazing. I don't know how they do it! Now, Maggie has a room all to herself! It's still a little messy, but she has her own closet (which is bigger than Mommy and Daddy's), her crib from Aunt Amy, a mattress from Aunt Jaime, bedding from Aunt Amber, a chest from Uncle Roger, closet shelving from Grandma Thomas, and the list goes on and on. She is getting along great. I'm going back to work in a couple weeks, so keep me in your prayers! It's hard for me to leave her for more than an hour, so I'm gonna have a tough time being away from her. Well here are lots of pictures from the past couple of weeks.

Growing up

2009-02-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

Little Maggie is growing up so fast! She is awake several hours during the day now, and slept for 5 1/2 hours a few nights ago! She still only fusses when she is hungry or has a bit of gas. Other than that, she is very content! I've gotten a few more smiles from her recently. She likes kisses on the cheek and she loves to stare at our ceiling fans. I can see her little personality develop more and more each day!
We had some unfortunate news today...Grandpa and Cathy Cook's dog Casey had to be put to sleep this morning. He had developed a tumor on his spleen, which caused internal bleeding. There wasn't much they could do for him. He was loved very much by all, especially by Grandpa and Cathy. It's been very hard for them as you can imagine. Dogs are very much a part of our family as you can tell by our Penny pictures, so if you think about it, you might include Grandpa and Cathy in your prayers.

Snow days

2009-01-28T07:45:00.000-08:00

Brian had to dig a path for his car so he could go to work today! We have about a foot of snow in our yard. Penny had lots of fun blazing a trail through it this morning. Meanwhile, Maggie and I are nice and toasty inside. She's becoming such a big girl already! She can hold her head up a little bit longer now, and she is awake more throughout the day. She's started cooing and smiling at me. She can follow things with her eyes, and has started sleeping almost 5 hours at night! We had some visitors yesterday. Kristin, Ashley, Rachel and Sam came to play with Maggie. It was a nice visit. I think they made it home before the snow got too bad. Well, I hope you all stay warm and don't get buried in snow!

Maggie's Dr. Appointment

2009-01-21T16:23:00.000-08:00

Miss Maggie had an appointment with her Dr. today. Just a check-up. She now weighs 7lbs and 14 oz, and is 20 1/2" long! Her Dr. said she looks great! She's following her growth curves and all that good stuff. She has a birthmark developing on her forehead, but he said it will probably go away eventually. After her appointment, we took her to the Conservatory to visit everyone! Most everybody was there, and they all loved her, of course! Maggie was very good traveling everywhere. She slept the whole time I think. Then when we came home, she was wide awake for a few hours! Well, I was glad to hear that she's growing well, and that she looks good. Thanks for thinking of her!

Fun weekend

2009-01-19T10:03:00.000-08:00

We all had a very nice weekend at the Loomis household. We had some friends visit Friday night, and on Saturday Grandma Powell came to visit. It was much warmer outside, so we took Maggie out on the town for a little bit. We went to Kaleb and Kylie's apartment (they had a water pipe burst and Brian lent them our little shop vac to suck up the water) and then we went to eat at Mario Bros Mexican Restaurant. Maggie has experienced some gas because of the spicy food...oops. Not painful gas, just a lot of toots. ;) Maggie got some good quality time with her Grandma Powell! She even gave her some smiles! I haven't gotten any awake smiles from Maggie, but Brian and Debbie have!!! I just get the sleepy or "I'm going to toot" grins.
Sunday we just lazed around the house all afternoon, and in the evening we traveled to Grandma and Grandpa Thomas' house to watch the playoff game. Maggie needed some quality Grandpa Thomas time! I sat in the back seat next to Maggie, and Penny rode in the front seat. Penny kept trying to sit on Brian's lap while he was driving. We had dinner and watched some football. Maggie ate some dinner, too, and afterwards she was awake for a couple hours! She's very alert when she's awake, and she tries to take in all her surroundings! She can't quite get her eyes to focus sometimes, so she gets a little cross-eyed. It's very cute. Penny got to play with Oscar, her favorite buddy, and she ate several chew-sticks. We finished the football game and then headed home and went to bed. Maggie slept pretty well last night. She's such a good baby!

Gotcha Grandma!

Lazin ' Around Sleeping in her bed Cousin Garrett

Night owl

2009-01-16T08:40:00.000-08:00

Little miss Maggie kept Mommy and Daddy busy last night! She was up every hour between 3 am and 6 am. Luckily all we have to do to make her happy is feed her, change her, or just hold her! She's easy to please.
Maggie got another bath yesterday, and she seemed to enjoy it! She only complained a little when we first placed her in the tub. I'm anxious to find out how much she's grown! I had to reschedule her check-up since it has been so cold this week. Too cold for tiny babies to be out and about. I can't believe she will be one month old on Monday! It's going by too fast.

Well, here are some more pictures! Tummy Time Penny and Maggie Four-legged Baby

First post from Maggie's Mommy!

2009-01-14T07:24:00.000-08:00

I am so blessed to have such a good baby! Maggie is blessed to have such wonderful grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc! I just want to thank everyone for their prayers for Maggie. I know she was getting lots of prayers even before she was born, and I know lots of you were praying for us when she had to go back to the hospital. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Well, I am loving being a mommy! It's been pretty easy since she's such a good little baby. She's spoiling us! Brian is such a good daddy! I'm not surprised, but feel very fortunate. He gets up in the middle of the night the change her or feed her when I'm just too tired, and he can't wait to come home from school and work to hold his little girl. He has been helping with the housework, too! What a guy! I guess that's why I married him. : )
Here are some recent photos of the little sweetie pie!

She likes to sleep with her arms above her head...like someone else we know (Grandma Thomas)!

Sleeping Beauties

2009-01-10T03:42:00.000-08:00

Another day at the Loomis home. After a somewhat restless night, the day was full of naps.

My observations...

2009-01-07T02:55:00.000-08:00

Visiting Val,Brian and Maggie daily during these first weeks gives me a great opportunity to see the new family in action. Val is busy "nesting". She missed that chance since Maggie's expected due date was actually tomorrow or the next day. She organized all of their dvds and cds and has gone through some of her clothes. I think the plan is to go through Brian's clothes today. They both really enjoy the time that Val is taking off from work to see what it will be like to be a stay at home mom. Hopefully Brian will find full time employment soon after graduation in May and the wish of both of them will come true...Val will get to stay home for real. In the meantime, they are making the most of this time. Val is very calm and confident with Maggie, and is handling motherhood with a lot of success. Maggie is thriving, is comfortable, and does very little "complaining". Brian comes home for lunch each day and hurries home from work. He can't wait to get home to his girls. It's a great atmosphere for a little one to grow up in. I'm so proud of them both.

Firsts

2009-01-06T01:53:00.000-08:00

What a whirlwind weekend. Maggie's first official outing, other than medical, was to Great Grandpa Cook's house to celebrate Christmas there on Friday evening January 2. She was passed around the room several times, but survived it all! It was the first time for cousins Alexis and Kaylee to see her. Alexis got to hold her and quietly sang her a couple of songs. It was a great moment. The next day, the Thomas clan gathered at our house for our celebration. Maggie took all the attention in stride and slept through most of the festivities, although she did peep around at us a few times. Uncle Roger and Aunt Brooke got her a Colts outfit and of course she had to wear it for the game...even though they lost. After a quiet Sunday, where Brian and Val tried to catch up on some sleep, Monday afternoon Maggie was treated to her first bath. Val did very well, and Penny kept a watchful eye to make sure she did everything right. I think Penny is growing somewhat protective. At least every time Maggie makes any noise, Penny is right there trying to figure out what's going on. Her bath brought the expected response, a little fussing, but to my surprise, she quickly quieted down as if to say "Hey, I'm cold and I don't like this, I want...wait a minute...yes...this is nice...I like this...ahhh." I think you can tell in the picture that this was taken when she was beginning to think a bath might be a nice thing. After all the drying and powdering, Maggie's hair was all fuzzy, standing straight up on the top. It is very manageable, though, and didn't stay that way for long...thank goodness. Maggie is beginning to fill out her cheeks a little bit, I think. But those little stick arms and legs have a lot to go before they start plumping up. Thanks for checking in on her progress.

Smiles

2009-01-01T16:41:00.000-08:00

Val caught Maggie smiling yesterday and snapped a quick photo. We've discovered that her smiles usually preceed her "gas". For someone so small, she can sure make a big stink! Do you suppose she's giggling to herself at the joke she's about to play on everyone? Paul and I stayed with Maggie while Brian and Val ran a couple of quick errands this afternoon. After many instructions...like we didn't have kids before...they entrusted their precious little one to the old folks. When they arrived back home no scissors had been run with, and no beans were inserted in any ears or a nose...thank goodness! Happy New Year Everyone!

Family and Friends Visit

2008-12-31T02:03:00.000-08:00

Uncle Roger is one the the many family members who have made the trek to the Loomis home to visit Maggie. All grandparents have been able to visit...Grandma and Grandpa Powell, Grandma and Grandpa Loomis, and Grandma and Grandpa Thomas. I think everyone is in agreement that she is the sweetest little thing. Even Great Grandpa Cook has gotten to visit her, his advantage being living in Terre Haute. Aunt Brooke, Uncle Roger, Aunt Amber and Aunt Amy have all met her. Great Aunt Linda and Great Uncle Dennis, Great Uncle Keith and Great Aunt Lorri, cousin Danielle, plus lots of Brian and Val's friends have visited...some saying that she's the cutest baby they've ever seen. It's pretty cool to have so many folks who want to come visit. Even more great are the numbers of folks who have prayed for her along the way, before she was born, while she was being born, and the difficulties after. It makes us all feel encouraged to know so many were lifting her up in prayer. She had another Dr. appointment yesterday. Val and Brian took her to the hospital lab prior to the appointment to have her bilirubin levels checked again. When the Dr. walked into the exam room he said, "Not you guys again. I'll have to call my wife to explain my absence from home." But the news they got yesterday was all good. She has regained almost all of the weight she lost, back to 6 lbs. 3 oz. after having dropped to 5 lbs. 4 oz. Her blood checked at 7.5, still going down which is good. She still sleeps lots, cries a little, dirties lots of diapers, and is alert when she's awake. I'm sure there will be times of sleeplessness and thankfully the house is full of gadgets to entertain a fussy baby. Now if there was just enough space for all of the gadgets... A friend of Val's from the Conservatory brought about 400 diapers on Monday. Val's co-workers had planned a surprise for her last day before her maternity leave. They were going to put all the packages of diapers (various sizes) all over her desk and scattered all around, a sort of diaper shower, for her. But, Val never made it to her last day and sort of spoiled that idea. But Heather came bearing the gifts, it took three trips in from the car to get them all inside. What a great idea. Thank you again for your prayers. We are indeed blessed.

2008-12-30T01:03:00.000-08:00

Maggie had a great day Monday. I don't think she cried at all from 9 am to 6:30 pm. She was content to eat sleep and look around a little bit. Her color is much better today. Val and Brian gave her a bath this morning, too. He hair is getting a little bit lighter as the days go by. I thought it was going to be black, but it may turn out to be light brown or blond. We don't know about her eye color, yet. They seem pretty dark right now. She had a couple of visitors today and pretty much slept through both. She has to get her blood tested again Tuesday to see how her jaundice number are. We'll let you know as soon as we find out.

Coming Home!

2008-12-28T13:18:00.001-08:00

Val just called. Maggie's numbers are down to 9.5 and so they are being released to go home. Thanks for your prayers!

Another Sunday update

2008-12-28T11:00:00.000-08:00

We went to see Maggie, Val and Brian before church this morning. Maggie is improving and was pretty content. You can see Maggie's

"Dora" bandaid on her hand. They added a new monitoring device to her left foot that keeps track of her blood pressure, etc., and also will set off an alarm just in case Maggie needs something if both Brian and Val are sleeping. All last night Brian stayed awake because the IV mounted on her head kept pushing the eye patches down over her nose and mouth and Brian was worried she might be able to breathe very well. Also, he fed Maggie a supplemental bottle while Val was catching up a little on her sleep. The Colts vs Titans game had better be interesting or there might be some sleeping going on in the room this afternoon. Maggie is to be tested again at 3 p.m. to see what her numbers are. If they are under 10 she might be able to go home today. If not, she'll stay probably another night. I think everyone is doing well right now. So, that's all I know. I added a picture of Brian and Maggie at home earlier this week. (You can see she's sort of yellowish even then.)

Maggie under the lights

2008-12-28T04:47:00.000-08:00

The eye patches keep her from looking at the lights. She got cold, so there is also a heat lamp aimed at her bassinet to help her stay warm. Her temperature stays about 98 degrees...still a little cold. You can't see it here, but there is an anti-theft device attached to her right ankle...just in case.

2008-12-28T04:45:00.000-08:00

2008-12-28T04:43:00.000-08:00

Tales of Maggie

2008-12-28T04:00:00.000-08:00

This is going to be a sort of retrospective initial blog all about Maggie Grace Loomis. Her due date was January 8 or 9, but she was born on December 22 at 8:44 p.m. in Union Hospital, Terre Haute. Maggie weighed in at a whopping 6 lbs. and 4 oz. and was 20" long. Think noodle, and you get a good idea of her body type. Val and Brian received high praise from the OB staff and everyone was commenting about how beautiful Maggie was. Of course, they were right. The weather in Terre Haute was pretty interesting this week. Freezing temperatures on Sunday, still pretty cold on Monday, ice Tuesday...lots of ice...and then gradually warming all the way to the 70s on Saturday. Maggie's birth was timed just perfectly for travel for Val and Brian. Not so much for Aunt Amy and cousins Alexis and Kaylee. They came for the blessed event, started home on Tuesday morning, decided to return to Grandma and Grandpa's house because of the slick roads and got rear ended on highway 46 on the trip back. No one was hurt thankfully, but not so good for Amy's GMC Envoy's back bumper. Fortunately, the fellow that hit them had up to date insurance so things should be repaired without lots of trouble. Maggie was able to go home on Wednesday afternoon. The Dr. said she shouldn't go anywhere until her Dr. visit on Saturday, so the Thomas Family Christmas gathering has been delayed until January 2. We don't mind a bit, because Maggie will be able to join us. After the usual newborn sleepless nights, Saturday finally came, time to visit the Dr. Val and Brian really like Dr. Schuld as he is very gentle and caring of little Maggie. Test results showed Maggie was highly jaundiced (17 for those who know numbers) and dehydrated a little, so she made a return to Union Hospital along with Val. Brian has been very good at staying right at Val's side during all the ups and downs they've experienced. What a great Daddy! Anyway, Maggie is at this writing under the bili lights and on a bili blanket in the pediatrics wing at the hospital. Val called this morning and her jaundice number has dropped to 12. As a precautionary step, they started an IV line in Maggie's head Saturday evening just in case she needed additional hydration. That whole process was pretty traumatic for Val because Maggie is covered in bandaids and her head was the only thing untouched. Val said they removed the IV line this morning and the nurse said the Dr. might let them come home today. We are keeping our hopes up, but at the same time want her to be there as long as necessary so she won't have to go back. That's pretty much all of the news we have as of 7:30 Sunday morning.